


You’re Really Here

by jaime_les_corbeaux



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Canon Compliant, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hugs, Time Travel, Tony Stark is a Good Dad, i guess, idk how to tag, lots of hugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-21 15:56:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18705550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaime_les_corbeaux/pseuds/jaime_les_corbeaux
Summary: (Warning: this fic contains major endgame spoilers)-Morgan Stark is seventeen when she goes back in time to see her father.





	You’re Really Here

**Author's Note:**

> Endgame made me cry like a baby and this is an attempt to make it feel slightly better
> 
> Pretty much the instant I got home I knew I had to write this.  
> Just a warning, I cried like three times while writing this so uh be careful
> 
> This is my first published fic, so any constructive criticism is very welcome!
> 
> No beta or anything we die like men
> 
> (Also uhh I wrote this on mobile so rip)

Tony wasn’t there to see her graduate.

Morgan Stark stood proudly clutching her high school diploma as the crowd cheered, and smiled at her family, but it felt strained. There was always someone missing. She felt tears threaten to spill down her cheeks, and tried her hardest to keep them at bay. She’d been doing this since she was five, and had only gotten better at it as the years went on, so her face stayed dry.

The pain didn’t stop, though. It never did.

Morgan hugged her mother tightly when the ceremony was over, and knew that they were both thinking the same thing.

“He’d be so proud of you,” Pepper whispered, and this time Morgan let the tears come. She cried in her mom’s arms for a few minutes, then stepped away and wiped her face. They smiled shakily at each other for a moment, each gaining strength from the other, and then Morgan turned to the rest of her family.

Happy and Rhodey were there, of course, and they both gave Morgan bone-crushing hugs. God, she reminded them so much of Tony. Her mind, her determination, her smile, all of it. They also might have shed a few tears of their own, a fact that they weren’t ashamed of.

Peter was there next, giving Morgan a hug and then high-fiving her with a grin. 

“You’re definitely the smartest one here,” he said, and Morgan laughed. 

“You know it!”

“Don’t you go and get an ego, missy,” May smiled, hugging Morgan tightly. “Just between you and me, though, he’s right. You are the smartest one here.” 

After a few minutes of that, Morgan excused herself, and went a little bit away from the crowd, sitting under a tree. She sighed when her phone buzzed, but smiled when she saw the message. 

It was a picture of Hulk, Sam, and Bucky, all holding a colourful sign that said _ConGRADulations!_ Morgan laughed, and saved the picture. _’Thank you!!’_ she sent back, _‘I love the sign, you should all consider pursing careers in graphic design.’_

Clint, Wanda, and Harley sent her similar messages, Clint’s with a video of his entire family yelling “congrats” attached. Harley’s also sent a selfie captioned _’I’m still smarter than u’_ , to which Morgan replied, _’u wish’_. 

Pepper invited everyone home for a small party, and though it was nice, and cake was involved, Morgan was secret relieved when the last guest finally left. She retreated to her room, and lay down on her bed, feeling exhausted.

She just wanted to see her dad, hear him tell her about how proud he was, and hug him tightly.

The one thing she wanted more than anything, she couldn’t have.

“Friday,” Morgan said quietly, “could you play the message?”

“Of course,” Friday replied, and as a holographic Tony flickered into life in the corner of Morgan’s room, she finally let herself cry.

#

“I could see him,” Morgan whispered, staring at the screen. “Friday, this means that I could see him, right?”

“Well, yes, I suppose,” Friday said, “but it’s not recommended. Time travel is serious, one wrong move-“

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Morgan said impatiently, turning to another screen. Blueprints. She stared at them, already running ideas and numbers through her head.

“Friday, help me make one of these suits for myself.”

Friday sighed- an actual, audible sigh. “Of course, boss.”

Morgan got to work.

#

It wasn’t really that hard at all. With Friday’s help, Morgan was finished within a week.

Now the bigger problem of actually doing it. Actually travelling through time.

More specifically, convincing someone to help her. Morgan wasn’t stupid, she wasn’t going to try to time travel by herself, but she knew that Hulk probably wouldn’t let her do it, and he was the one who (sort of) knew what he was doing.

Well, he wasn’t the only one.

“Hello, is this Hope van Dyne? Hi! It’s Morgan Stark, we’ve met a few times. I’m calling because I need your help with something.”

Surprisingly, Hope agreed. Morgan supposed that Hope of all people knew exactly what she was going through. She had heard stories of Hope’s crazy mission to get her mom back. It had worked. This was hardly any different- it was probably a thousand times safer, too.

So, that’s how Morgan found herself standing on a small, very expensive platform, with a rather ugly red and white suit on, wondering if maybe this was a bad idea after all.

“Remember,” Hope said, ready at the controls, “be careful, and don’t stay for any longer than you have to. You’re there for maybe two hours and that’s it. Don’t take any chances. Got it?” 

Morgan nodded. “Thanks for doing this, Hope.” The other woman smiled, and nodded. 

“Good luck,” Friday said in Morgan’s ear, and then she saw blue.

#

Morgan opened her eyes to see her house.

She looked around, a small smile forming on her face.

It worked.

Her home didn’t look the same, instead it was just as she remembered it, when she was five. She saw her old playhouse, and grinned, running toward it. She would play for hours in there, until Pepper or Tony came to bring her inside or deliver food.

Tony.

Morgan reeled when she realized that yes, it worked, she was here, and her dad was only about twenty or thirty feet away. 

Her dad. She was going to see her dad.

Heart pounding, she walked up to the front door and stood there for a minute, trying to psyche herself up. God, she wasn’t ready. Then again, would she ever be? And this was it, she had a limited amount of time. Her mom and...herself would get home eventually, and her dad-

No. She wasn’t thinking about that.

Morgan knocked.

She stood there for what felt like hours, excited yet terrified out of her mind, and then the door opened.

Her father stood in the doorway, one eyebrow raised, and he looked just like she remembered him, just like he did in every photograph and video, every hologram. He looked just like they described him- tired, determined, and a little bit terrified, but hopeful.

“Hello, do you need something?”

Morgan snapped out of her thoughts, and stared at Tony for a few seconds, unable to move or say anything. There was no way this was actually happening right now, because he was here, he was alive, he was real-

“Dad?” She said in a choked voice, and come on, she was crying, and she couldn’t stop it, not this time.

Tony’s eyes widened, and they flashed with some emotion Morgan couldn’t quite figure out. He shook his head incredulously, and raised a shaking hand as if to touch her, to see if this was real, or just a dream.

“Morgan?”

With a sob, Morgan launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his neck. Tony hugged her back, and she started crying harder, because her dad was here, he was alive, he was warm and solid and _real_ , and he was hugging her.

“Dad,” she sobbed, and Tony shushed her gently, stroking her hair.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he whispered, “it’s okay, you’re okay. I’ve got you.”

He held her tightly as she cried, gently rocking her back and forth. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Morgan was able to compose herself. She reluctantly stepped back a little, dropping her arms.

“I can’t believe it’s you,” she whispered, and Tony gently cupped her face in his hands, wiping away her tears. She brought her hands up and gripped his arms, and she never wanted to let go. She wished more than anything that she could stay here forever, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t. She nearly cried again at the unfairness of it all, that her father was taken away from her, and now that she could see him again, she couldn’t stay.

“You’re all grown up,” Tony said softly, tears forming in his eyes. He smiled almost sadly, and the love in his eyes nearly made Morgan burst into tears again. She’d dreamt this, meeting her dad again, but this was a thousand times better than that. She studied his face, trying to memorize every detail, to make sure she remembered what he looked like in person.

“I graduated a couple of weeks ago. High school.” Tony’s eyes went wide, and he grinned.

“Top of your class, I presume?” Morgan laughed, and nodded. “God, I’m so proud of you.” Tony hugged her again, and she held on as if for dear life, feeling her eyes well up with tears. He was proud of her. Her dad was alive and he was here and he was proud of her.

“You’ve grown up so fast. You know, it really feels like you were five just fifteen minutes ago,” Tony chuckled, and stepped back. He smiled at her, and wiped his eyes. “God you’re...you’re beautiful, honey.” 

Morgan gave a half-sob, half-laugh, and leaned forward, resting her head on her father’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her, then suddenly took them away. She looked up at him, and he was smiling.

“I’ve just realized we’re still talking in the doorway. Come inside, come on!” Tony took her hand, and lead her into the living room, sitting down with her on the couch. He squeezed her hand, and tilted his head. “Any more big news? I have, what, twelve years to catch up on? We probably have about an hour and a bit to talk. C’mon, spill.”

Morgan laughed, and nodded. “A lot has happened. A lot.” She sighed, and leaned against Tony. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she fought back tears. She wanted to stay here forever.

“Oh, Steve returned the stones-“ she felt Tony suck in a breath at that- “and he came back really old. He stayed with Peggy, in the forties.” She swallowed. “He and Mom and Uncle Rhodey and Uncle Happy and everyone...they told me so much about you.” 

She could tell that her dad was trying his best not to ask a million questions, and she was grateful that he didn’t bombard her. She took in a shaky breath, and shifted closer to him.

“He...he died when I was eleven. Steve.” Tony sighed, and hugged her closer. She blinked away tears. “I miss him. Everyone else is okay, though. Sam’s Captain America, now. He’s...he’s doing a good job.”

Tony smiled. “I knew it would be him.” He fell silent for a few moments, and Morgan grew slightly worried. Had she said too much?

“I need to ask, uh, so clearly, the ‘time heist’ worked, but...where did you get your suit? I...obviously didn’t make it for you.” 

Morgan smiled. “I made it. I used your old blueprints, and had some help from Friday.” Tony grinned, and chuckled a little.

“Geez, you’re so smart, should I be worried? You’re a smaller, female version of me, god knows that won’t end well.” Tony laughed, and Morgan felt warmth bloom in her chest, she was happier than she had been in a long time. 

“I’m going to take over the world,” she said with a grin, “just you wait.”

Tony smiled, and raised his hands in a mock surrender. “No doubt about it, kiddo. We’re lucky you didn’t turn out to be a super villain.”

Morgan raised an eyebrow. “How do you know I’m not?” 

Tony pointed at her. “Nuh-uh,” he said sternly, “not on my watch, young lady. I’d have to kick your ass, and neither of us wants that to happen. I mean, you’d probably do the ass-kicking, but still. I’d put up a good fight.” 

Morgan laughed, and after a moment, her dad joined her. For just a moment, she forgot that in her time, Tony was gone. That she’d have to go back far too soon. For a moment, her dad was alive and well, and they were both happy. No pain, no fear, no guilt, no regrets. 

Then, suddenly, Tony went quiet, a pinched look on his face.

Morgan frowned. “Dad? You okay?”

Tony took a breath, and turned away. “Kiddo, I-“ he sighed, and turned back to Morgan, pain clear on his face. “I’m sorry.”

“What?” Morgan shook her head. “You- dad, you don’t have to apologize for anything.”

Tony shook his head. “No, I do. I’m sorry. For...” he rubbed his face. “‘Cause obviously, I left you, I’m gone, and I haven’t been there for you for the most important parts of your life-“

“Dad, no. It’s not your fault, okay?” Morgan felt herself beginning to cry again, and a surge of frustration went through her. She put her hand near Tony’s, and he took it. “It’s not your fault. You’re a hero. I’m not mad at you, I miss you, I’ve missed you so much, but I’m mad at them, at..at the _world,_ for taking you away.”

Tony closed his eyes and swallowed, his grip on Morgan’s hand tightening, and she hugged him tightly. He let out a shaky breath, holding her close.

“Dad, don’t. I love you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.” Tony laughed wetly, and shook his head.

“I’m sorry, I should be the one comforting you, this is ridiculous,” he moved back a little, looking at Morgan, and his eyes were filled with tears. “I just, I left you. I left you alone. How...how shitty- that’s just like my dad- I told myself, I promised myself- I promised _you_ that I wouldn’t be like him-“

Morgan covered Tony’s mouth with her hand. “No, dad,” she said sternly, “you’re amazing. You’re an amazing dad, you were an amazing dad. I have nothing but good memories. And I’m not alone, I have mom and Uncle Rhodey and Uncle Happy, and Peter and Harley and May, and all of my super aunts and uncles. I miss you, but,” she swallowed, “you did good. Dad? Remember this, okay? Remember what I’m about to say.” Tony nodded, and a few tears ran down his cheeks.

“Don’t hesitate.” 

Tony sniffed, and chuckled a little, but didn’t say anything, so Morgan continued.

“I mean, maybe there’s a chance, that in this timeline, you’ll be okay, but...” she shook her head. “I don’t know. Just remember that, okay, dad?” She gave a watery smile, and Tony brushed her hair off of her face. “They told me so many stories about you,” she whispered. “How you were a hero. There are statues, murals, entire buildings dedicated to you, and the rest of the team.” She snorted. “More than a few benches.” Tony laughed.

“Thanks, kiddo.” He wiped his eyes. “Let’s get back to happy things, eh? You don’t have much time.”

He was right, she didn’t. That familiar gut-wrenching feeling was back, but Morgan tried to ignore it. “Yeah, good...good idea.” She paused, then looked up with a mischievous grin. “Ice pops?”

A smile broke out over Tony’s face. “You know, I was just thinking about that. Ice pops it is.”

Morgan sat on the counter eating hers (cherry, the best flavour,) and Tony stood next to her, leaning against the fridge (his was grape.)

She told him everything (well, not everything,) and they chatted for a good while, before Tony spoke up.

“Are you guys still here?” He asked, “or did you move out after...” he paused. “After.”

“Nope.” Morgan chewed on popsicle stick. “We’re still here. Swimming in the lake and eating ice pops.

Tony nodded. “Good. I love this house.”

Morgan smiled sadly. “Yeah. That’s mostly why we stayed. To stay with you.”

He was silent at that. Neither of them said anything for a while, just moving to throw the sticks in the trash, before he spoke again.

“Thanks,” he said quietly, and Morgan jumped down from the counter to lean against his side. They stayed like that for a little bit, until she checked the time. Her heart sunk. No. Please, not yet.

“Shit,” she said, because no other words would come.

“No, only mom’s allowed to say that word.” Tony grinned, and Morgan raised her eyebrows, then sighed.

“Dad, I have to go.” He went still.

“Oh.” He looked at the clock. “Pepper will be home soon. Really soon. That’s why.” It sounded more like a question than a statement.

“Yeah.”

Tony was silent. He looked at his daughter, and there were tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he whispered, and he hugged her. Morgan closed her eyes. Please, no. She just wanted a little more time. Needed it. Please.

“I am, too.”

“I love you.”

“I love you three-thousand.” Morgan smiled, fighting back tears. Tony gently poked her nose, and she gave a tiny laugh. God, this was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. Feeling like her heart was about to break in two, she stepped away and let go of Tony, trying desperately to memorize every second of this, every detail, trying to ingrain her father’s words into her brain. 

She took a deep breath, gave a watery smile, and went back to her time.

A few minutes later, Pepper and five year-old Morgan walked through the door to find Tony sobbing on the kitchen floor.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and I really hope you all enjoyed!
> 
> Again, any constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated!


End file.
